Cindy Goeden has enjoyed being involved with Shurley English for the last sixteen of her twenty-six years in the field of education. Working with various levels of students in elementary, junior, and high schools, in both the private and public arenas, Cindy surely is thankful for the providential day that she was introduced to Shurley English, which changed forever her approach to Language Arts instruction. That has led to her current job of having the joy of sharing about Shurley with other educators. Her love of learning has prodded her to earn over two hundred and twenty hours, which includes two bachelor degrees in education.

Cindy currently lives with her husband, Donald, in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she enjoys puttering in her flowers, changing up her décor with the seasons, and occasionally getting out and traveling with Donald to either explore a new beach or view historic sights and gardens.

It's always a great idea to have an activity on hand for days when reinforcement is needed. Here's a great activity to add to your toolbox: The Grammar Necklace.

Supplies Needed: yarn, construction paper, markers, stapler or tape

Assembly Instructions:

1. Fold a sheet of construction paper in half over the yarn.

2. Staple or tape the outside edges to keep the yarn in place.

3. Write a part of speech on the construction paper. (example: SN for Subject Noun)

4. Repeat this process until you have created all the parts of speech you wish to use. (Remember, you may need to create several necklaces for adjectives, adverbs, article adjectives, etc.)

You can utilize these necklaces in a variety of ways. Here are a few ideas:

1. Divide students into groups. Give each student in a group one grammar necklace. Have the group create a sentence, using the correct Q&A Flow order. Each student is responsible for choosing the word that corresponds with the label he/she is wearing. (Remember to use the Sentence Jingle to verify that you have the five parts of a complete sentence.)

2. While studying prepositional phrases, create a "labeled" sentence by having a group of students stand at the front of the room. Each person should be wearing the appropriate part of speech for the sentence you are studying. Have the students in the prepositional phrase hold hands. Then, show what happens to the sentence when you take away the phrase. Show what happens when you move the phrase to the front or end of the sentence. This activity is a great way to show how the phrase stays together and must move as one unit!

3. Write a sentence on the board. Using magnets, label each word with the appropriate necklace piece.

4. Give each student in the room a grammar necklace. While you classify a sentence as a group, have each student stand when his/her part of speech is labeled.

The possibilities are endless! Feel free to share your ideas with us by using the comment section below.

Kim Shurley is a wife, mother, educator, and wanna-be rockstar. She graduated with honors from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock with a degree in Marketing in 1999. Upon her graduation, Kim joined the Shurley Team, where she collaborates on product development and promotion with her mother-in-law, Brenda Shurley.

Kim believes wholeheartedly in the work she does in curriculum development, which is why she homeschools her two children in the summer months using the Shurley method of instruction. After all, educating children is what this family-run company is all about.

In her spare time, Kim can be found adventuring in the mountains of Colorado with her family.

Shurley English

Shurley English is the best English Language Arts curriculum available to public schools, private schools, and home educators.Shurley English is a rigorous curriculum that brings back student-teacher interaction, promotes higher-order thinking skills, and provides students with a successful base from which they can achieve mastery, retention, and enthusiasm for English.

Our mission is to inspire and empower ALL students to become competent, confident communicators by providing superior educational solutions and innovative teacher training tools. This will enable all students to positively impact their school, community, and future work environments.